L.A. Gas Prices Hit 7-Month Low
Gas prices across the United States have declined, according to recent figures from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
These figures show the average price of a gallon of regular retail gasoline in the U.S. is $3.525 (as of Sept. 15), 17.3 cents below what it was a year ago.
In Los Angeles, the average price of a gallon of gasoline is $3.77, the lowest amount since February. It is below the average price of gasoline in California, which is $3.786 per gallon.
The price of gas in Los Angeles has been decreasing for the past 11 weeks, dropping a total of 42.3 cents since June 30. The price of a gallon of gasoline is lower than what it was a year ago today.
Texas and the Gulf Coast both have the lowest price of gasoline at $3.19 a gallon. San Francisco has the highest.
Dr. Kelly T. Sanders, a Civil and Environmental Engineering professor at USC believes the fall in gas prices can be attributed to the government’s increasing reliance upon hydraulic fracturing to produce oil. Hydraulic fracturing has become more prominent as the U.S. tries to depend less on oil imports.
Dr. Sanders is concerned about the impact of falling gas prices on the environment; he thinks an increase in gasoline consumption would lead to a higher concentration of greenhouse gases and worsen climate change.